Looking to add a dash of sophistication to your bride-to-be’s special day? Want to plan something a little different than your average bachelorette bar hop? A wine tour is one of the best ways to celebrate the woman of the hour, to make sure she feels important.
Before you spend tons of time looking up ‘How to Plan the Perfect Stagette Party’, make sure to check out the below first, and let Sip Happens steer you in the right direction.
To quote the words of Barney from “How I Met Your Mother” – this bachelorette will be “legend – wait for it – dary”!
Designate one person to be the main point of contact
Which one in the group has a knack for planning events? Which one is the most organized and has the most fun corralling the others? You have one, you know you do. The person that always tells the group where they are going, who makes the cocktail reservations each weekend, or after work – who lights a fire under everyone’s butts. Pick that person. They may even already have an idea of things the bride has hinted at in the past; which city in the Okanagan they would like to visit, has a line on the best hotels already researched, and has a budget in mind for each person attending.
Choose the best way to keep the group in the loop
Is the gang more email oriented? Do they prefer a Facebook group where anyone can post for the most up-to-date information that only the group can see? Designate a place or an app, where you can place important information such as hotel bookings, car-pooling details, costs of wine tour, due dates on payments of certain events and items, what to wear on the day, what to bring such as passports or ID, etc… This way there is no miscommunication. You can even create a #hashtag on both Instagram and Facebook so the group can easily find their photos from the day or weekend.
Pick a date
This may be the most important part of planning your event. Picking a date that suits everyone can be difficult, however once you have a specific date decided upon, everything else will begin to fall into place. It would be a good idea to pick three different dates that may work for the group, in case the first date is not available. Contact a wine tour company (preferably us here at Sip Happens Wine Tours) as soon as you have these dates in mind, to make sure you can secure a spot on your preferred wine region trail.
Reminder as well, everyone always wants a Saturday Bachelorette Wine Tour – which makes sense if travelling, however, Saturdays can be the busiest day to try and book with a wine tour company. With enough notice, it usually will not be a problem, especially if you are putting out feelers in January for say, July. However, if more short notice, certainly consider booking on a Friday or a Sunday. You’ll have just as much fun, and wineries may not be as busy.
Set a payment timeline for the group
Most wine tour companies will usually allow you to pay a deposit if booking well in advance to secure the date of your tour. Make sure to inform the rest of the group the cost of the tour with taxes, along with gratuity (usually 15% or more for the guide on the day) and by which date they have to pay the organizer by – you know, that person you designated to be the main point of contact. Final payment for your wine tour is usually 2-4 weeks before the wine tour date. Make sure the group pays the organizer well before that date, so they aren’t scrambling to collect from everyone last minute. Hotels usually have a different payment structure, and usually, groups will be able to pay on the date with easy cancellation. VRBO and AirBNB also have different payment structures, and usually ask for full payment to book. Make sure to check the cancellation policy for each place, or event you book – just in case something ends up derailing your plans.
Choose Your Theme!
Once all the details are in place, it’s time to pick a theme! Want the group to wear all black, while the bride wears a white sundress? How about getting special t-shirts made? Or coordinated fedoras, t-shirts, jeans and converse sneakers! Anything goes, almost – things to maybe avoid however are super high heels. You’ll be standing the majority of the day, other than when in the vehicle on your wine tour. You may be standing outdoors in grass as well during your tasting, and no one wants to feel their heels sinking into the grass while trying to listen to the wine tasting server. Make sure everyone is comfortable – as well as cute. Both are achievable.
Want more help?
Our wine tour consultants are happy to help and have quite a bit of fun planning bachelorette wine tours for our guests. We can customize your tour as well, and are happy to give suggestions – want more than just wineries? We also have beer, wine, cider and spirit tours. Want something less formal, we have a wine and cider tour, with pizza at the end. If you give us the idea, we can run with it to create a memorable day that the bride will not soon forget.
For more information, feel free to swing us an email at hello@siptours.ca or call us at 778-212-2134
